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Chilliwack School Trustee Steps Down from Committee Work Amid Uproar

This is how Transgender rights activist and local politician Morgane Oger would describe her experience at a Chilliwack anti-LGBT Rally this past November.

Hosted by Kari Simpson and Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson, the rally was formed in support of Chilliwack School Trustee Barry Neufeld, who in late October published a post on his personal Facebook page stating his stance against “Gender Theory” and the SOGI initiative in BC schools.

SOGI 123, short for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, is a resource that the Ministry of Education has implemented to help teach inclusivity to students K through 12 through policies and lesson plans in BC Schools.

In his post, Neufeld expressed his belief that allowing children to choose their gender was “nothing short of child abuse”, which prompted an uproar on social media, with many, including Oger, demanding his resignation.

Neufeld has since apologized for his statement, but repeated the same rhetoric at the Culture Guard rally in Chilliwack, going as far as saying gender confusion was a “sexual addiction”.

Oger, who attended the rally at Evergreen Hall, was misgendered by two individuals after she made her presence known at the event. She went on to defend the SOGI initiative, saying “The Human Rights Code requires that this material be taught, it’s the same material we have for anti-racism, protection of newcomers, First Nations, anti-sexism.”

Since the rally, Neufeld has stepped back from all of his committee work while ensuring his constituents he would not step down and will run for his seat again in the next election.

Evolution 1079 reached out to Culture Guard and they declined to comment.